GENERAL NEWS

Report: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreement in place

Mar 17, 2020, 4:28 PM

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady walks to the sideline after a series of plays in the fir...

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady walks to the sideline after a series of plays in the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Tennessee Titans, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Former New England Patriots quarterback and free agent Tom Brady made it official Tuesday morning that he would not be returning to the team. Later in the day, his destination was being reported.

Brady has a contract agreement in place with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The move to Tampa Bay would have Brady working with former Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians and several members of Arians’ old staff in Arizona, including Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.

The arrival of Brady seemingly means the end of the Jameis Winston era. Winston was the No. 1 overall selection made by Tampa Bay in the 2015 NFL Draft and is a free agent.

A four-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and three-time league MVP, Brady has been the enduring face of the Patriots during a run that added another layer to Boston’s already rich sports history. Only Bill Russell, who won 11 NBA championship rings in the 1950s and 60s with the Celtics, has won more titles as a member of one of New England’s four major professional sports teams.

Brady would be the oldest starting quarterback in the league at 43 at the beginning of next season. He is also arguably coming off his worst non-injury season. He threw for 4,057 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2019, with eight interceptions. But he completed fewer than 56% of his passes six times in the final eight games of the year, including a season-ending loss to Miami that cost the Patriots a first-round playoff bye.

They lost at home to the Titans in the wild-card round, Brady’s earliest postseason exit in a decade — and likely his last game in a Patriots uniform.

Brady had a one-year contract for 2019 that paid him $23 million, placing him 10th among starting quarterbacks. It was the latest renegotiation by Brady to help give the Patriots salary cap flexibility to fill out the roster.

The Associated Press contributed to this story

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Report: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreement in place